GoKawiil
Tech News
Apple told developers it will roll out two new App Store content descriptors on November 16: 'Dating and Relationships' and 'Shared Location.' Apps offering romantic or sexual interactions—whether with real people or AI chatbots—must now carry an 18-and-over age rating, with developers given until January 12, 2027 to complete disclosures across all their apps.
Apple told developers it will require apps offering dating, romantic relationship features, or AI companions with sexual or romantic content to carry an 18+ age rating. Starting November 16, developers must add content descriptors so app ratings reflect these features, and apps sharing users' real-world locations with others must also disclose that functionality. Apple noted Brazilian apps offering family location-sharing can seek a special rating from the government instead of the standard A16 label.
Apple announced that beginning November 16, developers must declare in the App Store Connect age rating questionnaire whether their apps include shared-location features or dating and relationship features, including virtual companions offering romantic or sexual content. Apps with dating and relationship features will automatically receive a minimum 18+ rating, while location-sharing apps may or may not affect the rating depending on region. Apple said Brazil has separate rules requiring A16 or A18 ratings for such apps, with all developers required to complete the new declarations by January 12, 2027.
Meta has quietly released Waddle World, an app combining a Tamagotchi-style virtual pet with AI, on iOS and Android in the Philippines, as spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra. The app lets users hatch and care for a pixel pet, journal their day via text or voice, play short mini-games, and receive weekly AI-generated summaries, with Meta explicitly stating it is not a chatbot or productivity tool and restricting it to users 18 and older.
A commentary piece argues that AI safety debates focus too heavily on catastrophic risks while ignoring subtler, everyday harms—citing data that a third of teens now turn to AI companions for serious conversations, alongside chatbot-assisted schoolwork and engagement-optimized feeds. Separately, the piece notes NASA's 2024 announcement of Space Reactor-1 Freedom, a planned nuclear-powered spacecraft intended to reach Mars by the end of 2028 under a roughly $2 billion program.
An analysis argues that AI and social-media companies focus safety efforts on preventing high-profile disasters—the kind that trigger lawsuits or headlines—while ignoring subtler, widespread harms like emotional dependence on chatbots or engagement-driven feeds. It cites Google backing state-level chatbot bills in 2025 that banned sexual content and self-harm promotion but included broad exemptions, while tougher measures aimed at preventing emotional dependency failed, including in Nebraska.
The European Commission has proposed the EU Kids Act, which would prohibit chatbots from mimicking emotions or personal relationships when interacting with users under 18. The draft law also bars children under 13 from using chatbots without parental supervision, prevents chatbots from retaining memory across separate conversations, and stops platforms from auto-activating or prominently placing AI companions in minors' contact lists. Companies that fail to build in these child-safety protections could face fines up to 6% of their global turnover.